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Hi! Happy weekend.
As we inch toward the end of the year, I’ve been looking back on 2024’s culture coverage throughlines. There’s a lot of reporting to be proud of and thankful for; one theme, though, that has been a tragic throughline—and one that bears further emphasis—is that the local music community has lost several much-loved scene linchpins.
Last week, Chapel Hill rocker Reese McHenry—bluesy, beloved, raucous—passed after a long battle with cancer at age 51. In an INDY tribute this week, David Menconi writes:
Officially, McHenry was survived by her mother, a brother, and her husband of 18 years, Justin. But her family was much, much broader than that. In a way, you could list the entire local music community as survivors.
Quite apart from the magic she conjured onstage going back to her days fronting Dirty Little Heaters, McHenry was one of the most universally beloved figures on the scene.
“She was also a nanny who raised a lot of people’s children, pets, homes, and broken hearts,” says her longtime friend and fellow musician Mimi McLaughlin, from Magnolia Collective. “It’s hard to memorialize such a big person. She had a gigantic heart, and it was battery-operated.”
Dexter Romweber of the Flat Duo Jets passed in February at age 57. Menconi also wrote about his life, in a raw, candid tribute, earlier this year. In April, Kevin Joshua Rowsey II, better known as “Rowdy,” passed at age 32. Pierce Freelon wrote a beautiful tribute to him here (“Rowdy earned the respect of NC’s hip-hop community with his infectious and magnetic energy, and a gregarious and charming presence on and off stage.”) I hope 2025 is lighter, and I’m thankful to these writers for spending time with the memories of these musicians.
It’s Thanksgiving next week, so no newsletter. Look out for a new issue on stands next Wednesday, though, which includes a feature, with area food purveyors, dishing on their favorite menus and traditions. Hope your holiday is a sweet time.
Reese McHenry: “As most people who know Reese know, she’s a bad mother fucker.” Photo by Michael Benson.
elsewhere in the culture section
Writer Andrea Richards emailed the other day with the subject line “a little, sweet Raleigh story.” She went on to describe a party celebrating the transfer of a large, mural-like painting, “Casa,” between Humble Pie—which closed last year, after being a downtown Raleigh cornerstone for three decades—to neighboring restaurant Fiction Kitchen.
Turnover comes quickly in the hospitality industry, but the painting represents a fable-like sense of community continuity. Read the story—which has a few glittering serendipitous moments—here.
Other recent food stories: Peregrine will open in early 2025. Savannah Miller talks Top Chef. A homegrown flour tortilla business finds a loyal customer base.
out and about in the triangle
Raleigh’s Christmas parade is tomorrow and the Chinese Lantern Festival is back. Ella West Gallery’s new exhibition opens this weekend and the Nasher announced that it is debuting “Cannupa Hanska Luger: Speechless, an exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Cannupa Hanska Luger.” I’m very excited about a couple of NCMA exhibitions in the spring, too. (For now, disconcertingly, the sunflowers outside NCMA are apparently in bloom!).
Adrienne Lenker plays tonight at Duke! (Get ready to cry, if you’re going.) Other noteworthy upcoming concerts: Mipso is back home, playing Cat’s Cradle tonight and tomorrow. Joe Troop has a cool residency at The Fruit in early December. The Pinhook’s Sweet 16 in mid-December. Kathleen Edwards at Motorco in late January.
out and about in the world
“Inside the secret world of McKinsey, the firm hooked on fossil fuels.” I feel like the celebrity lookalike phenomenon is somehow going to crash and burn, but at least it has some comforts. Father John Misty and Kendrick Lamar both dropped surprise albums today.
— Sarah Edwards —
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